The invention relates to a novel automatic installation for the composition and the continuous printing of small texts, especially such as visiting cards. It also relates to an installation of the type in question for composition and continuous printing in traditional format, and especially in A4 type format.
Small printing machines have already been available for a long time, making it possible for non-professionals to rapidly print small texts. However, although widely used, these installations require staff and are not as rapid as the consumer would wish.
An automatic installation has been described in the document FR-A-2 576 437 in which the user types in on a keyboard the elements which he wants to see appear on the visiting cards, menus, etc., by showing these elements on a screen. This installation additionally comprises a printer which prints on a medium of paper of relatively heavy weight, stored in the form of a reel, the text composed by the user. A computer manages the operation of the machine and of the printer. However, while constituting significant progress with respect to the known devices, this installation does not make it possible to compose the page layout at leisure and allows only one type of format.
Then in the French patent FR-A-2 621 153 an automatic installation of the same type has been described, incorporating similar elements to the preceding installation, but in which the printer is able to pivot by 90.degree. so as to be able to permit printing of texts according to at least two formats perpendicular to each other. Nevertheless, the page layout remains fixed, so that choice for the user remains very limited.
In addition, no installation is known of the type in question which is able to permit, on demand, the production of texts or parts of texts in A4 format, in a variable series and in a short timeframe.